The Oldlands
by Kayzar117
Summary: Villages exist outside of the city walls. Not a lot, but some have managed to cling to life in the wake of the collapse. Guardians find them all the time as they travel the frontier with their fireteams. Sometimes they are just lucky enough to get there before one of them is wiped off the map...sometimes. Destiny, Bungie, Ghost, Warlock, Titan, Hunter
1. Part 1

**Samuel**

Tears welled up in his eyes as the air around him filled with molten metal. The smoke of a thousand fires choked and burned his throat as explosions tore through the buildings he once called home. Four arms appeared out of the smoke, two of which held massive cutlasses almost as tall as him. Glowing eyes turned on him as the hellish monster made an advance toward him. But none of this mattered. He looked down at the charred mass of flesh that used to be his sister and wept.

The creation of his village had become something of legend. Stories tell how Viralas had traveled to Old India to fight evil. In the heart of the forest he had fought and won against the evil from which all evil was made, but at a cost. The legend tells of how he held the evil in his hands, and trapped it for eternity, losing his life in the process. The people he had saved rallied around him and formed a village in his name, so that no evil could hope to fight them again.

They had come to Viralas six years ago. He had only been one when his sister carried him to the nearest hut seeking sanctuary from the world and the terrors it held. The people of Viralas welcomed them and, seeing that they had no parents, raised them. Everyone was a parent to them and they grew strong and safe in the sanctuary of the forest. As they grew they heard tales of the world and how it came to be. Bedtime stories of the Darkness and its minions flooded their heads with nightmares, but it also taught them that the places outside of Viralas were dangerous. Many had died trying to venture forth from the sanctuary of the trees.

Children stories were all he could think about now. What good had they done him? They did nothing to prepare him for this moment as he came face to face with evil. What do children's stories tell you of the stench of evil's breath, of the feel of your sister dying against you, of the fear of dying yourself?

The monster leaned close and snarled. Its arms rose menacingly as it lifted its swords. Then the creature gurgled and fell dead at his feet, a blade protruding from its head. Through his tears Samuel could see a figure, hooded in night, step out from the shadows of the trees. Of all the evil creatures he had seen today, Samuel feared this one most. Apparently, so did the others.

A large one roared and others gathered to fight this new monster. One of the creatures did not see this new threat and was rewarded by a stab in the back. The monster's hand lit up in blue light as the creature screamed and fell dead at his feet.

Then, it began to glow. Before his very eyes the monster crouched, and sprang at the nearest enemy, faster than he could blink. Then it jumped at another, cutting its head clean off. The last one, the big one, roared as the monster bounced around him. It was everywhere at once. Then it was suddenly at the creature's back, and the blue light shot through it before it collapsed.

In all of the stories of his childhood there had been many tales of people made of light. Light so bright it burned away the creatures of the dark. Could this be one of those people? If it was, then why was he so frightened of it?

Then the monster turned and looked at him.

**Ziarik**

The light danced off his knife as he plunged it into the dreg's back. The creature screamed as it crumpled down at his feet. Two nearby dregs and a captain heard the sound and made their way towards him, rifles humming. He slowed his breathing, letting his mind take him through the needed steps. The light engulfed him as he sprung forward. The arc energy carried him forward and through his intended target, decapitating it. Before the Fallen dreg's head had hit the ground he had already dismembered the second, his blade flowing cleanly through. The captain's shield crackled as he approached. Time seemed slow to him as he let the Traveler's light fill his mind. With one slice the shield burst and the captain roared, its swords slicing down. They clashed to the ground a moment too late. In another instant, the hunter's blade was pressed firmly through his spine, arc energy burning through him until he collapsed, motionless.

He heard his breathing, heavy in his helmet, as the light left his body. The dull glow that remained pulsed softly like a second heartbeat. He assessed his surroundings as his breathing slowed. The small buildings around him were aflame and the rising smoke found itself choked in the trees of the encroaching forest. It's no wonder this village lasted so long without notice, he thought. The forest was so thick that it completely obscured the buildings. But that was all over now that the Fallen had found it.

"Well that was subtle. Whatever happened to the stealthy approach?"

His ghost materialized in front of him. The tiny white robot, created in the light of the traveler, had found him and brought him back to life almost ten years ago. This little guy was the closest thing he had to a friend, even if he could be a real buzzkill sometimes.

"Upon occasion a little flair is necessary," Ziarik pointed out, "Notice how none of them had time to raise an alarm?"

"Still, we must exercise caution. If the fallen find us then the plan goes to dust."

Ziarik compulsively checked his scout rifle as he chinned the switch in his helmet to activate his comms.

"The East Village is secure, moving in toward the center structure now."

Gunfire blasted over his headset and, roaring above it, Será yelled, "Fantastic! I'll just get back to being your big noisy distraction!"

A cool feminine voice answered her, "Oh hush Será, don't pretend like you don't love being our big noisy distraction. The West Village is clear by the way Ziarik. I'll see you at the town center."

"Roger that Kilia."

His microphone clicked off. He checked the bullet count in his magazine for the fifteenth time before snapping it back into his rifle. A soft rustling sound came from behind him and he spun around, bringing his rifle up, aiming down the sights into the face of a small boy.

The boy's tear-streaked face looked up at him pitifully. Ziarik quickly lowered his rifle.

"Hey, are you ok?"

The child continued to stare at him wild-eyed. He softly approached the young one, his hands outstretched in what he hoped was a non-intimidating gesture. The child scooted away, but continued to clutch onto a charred piece of wood next to him. Ziarik's arms fell to his side as he realized what he was looking at. The child was holding onto the mutilated wrist of a burned corpse. Judging by its size it was probably another child that had wound up on the bad end of a dreg's shock pistol. "Oh damn," Ziarik whispered as he knelt down in front of the child. He slowly pushed his hood back and pulled his helmet off. His olive colored skin immediately began to sweat as it was released from the cool confines of his helmet. He unconsciously rubbed his short black hair as his brown eyes met the child's green ones. The young one's eyes welled up with tears as he ran to him. The tiny arms wrapped around his neck in fear, gripping so hard he almost choked. Ziarik patted the child's back clumsily as he tried to calm the sobbing youth.

"Well, things just got more complicated."


	2. Part 2

**Será**

"You have a what!?" screamed Será as she unloaded the last of her bullets into an approaching Pike. The vehicle ignited and blossomed into a huge explosion as she ducked behind the primitive mud wall of a demolished hut.

Ziarik's voice sounded small after the explosion, "… A survivor, a child, all alone." She could hear the discomfort in his voice and imagined the Hunter trying to figure out how to care for a child. The thought was amusing.

"If you ask 'Can we keep it?' my answer is no! Hang on a second"

She threaded a chain of bullets up through her blood red gun, Thumper. The black skull she had painted on the side of it grinned at her mockingly. She snapped the top of the LMG down and heard it hum as it prepared to superheat the freshly loaded slugs. Up she came from the low wall and down went the Fallen who were unlucky enough to be peeking out as she pulled the trigger. Bullets filled the air. Her teeth rattled as the machine gun tore through armor and flesh alike. She slowly advanced, pivoting to douse each new threat with bullets. Her teeth chattered with every round.

The last bullet fired and a silence filled the clearing. The trees seemed to be the silent spectators of this bloody battleground and their quiet applause was deafening. Then more Fallen burst forth from their cover to fire at her. She cursed and ducked behind the nearest tree, its large root giving her the perfect cover.

She responded over her coms as she popped off Thumper's cover, "We've got to stick to the plan Ziarik. Figure out what to do with him."

"I can't just leave him here, he won't stop crying! The Fallen will find him."

"Kids cry Ziarik. Try and calm him down then bring him with you to the rendezvous point. Kilia says that's where they've taken all of the prisoners."

"Why hasn't she responded yet?"

"Knowing her she is either ignoring us, or she is in some deep shit."

**Kilia**

Kilia lay on her back. She breathed slowly and quietly. Above her was a low table situated in a parlor of one of the larger homes in the West Village. No sooner had she confirmed that the West Village was cleared than a skiff had arrived with reinforcements. She had only just dashed inside and slid herself under the table before the Fallen vandals had entered the room, their stealth shields humming.

She slowed her breathing and opened up her mind. The sensors on her helmet pushed information directly to her brain. She could sense them all around her as they peered around corners and behind doors. She knew they would find her eventually, so she had to be ready when they did. She mustered together what light she had left, letting it flow from her core, to her shoulders and down to her arms and hands. Her fingers began to tingle as the void energy coursed through them.

In and out went her breath. The pulsing rhythm of the energy matched her breathing. Two of the vandals were beside her. She could feel their presence even though she could not see them. They paused, and began to stoop to see under her table. Out went her breath, and out went the energy with it. Void light coursed from her hand, launching the table up and over. It slammed down hard onto the two vandals, whose scattered limbs twitched effortlessly from beneath it.

She sensed the vandals with her mind and her body reacted. A grenade flew from her left hand, landing in a section of air. The air began to distort and ripple until the invisibility drive overloaded revealing a completely terrified vandal. Kilia quickly made a fist and the grenade exploded, revealing two other vandals in the blast. She rolled forward, coming out into a kick that landed square in the gut of one of the repulsive pirates. She sprang to her feet. Her hand flew up, releasing void energy into the face of the second vandal, who proceeded to disintegrate as the light took him.

The vandal she had kicked regained its breath and came at her again. She brought her hands up to block. Punches rained down on her from all directions as the four-armed creature relentlessly pushed her back. One of its hands pulled a large dagger from a hidden sheath and thrust it at her. She caught it easily and, using all of her might, flipped the vandal bodily over her and onto the ground. She stepped on its back and quickly pulled the arm she clutched, breaking the creature's spine.

She allowed herself a moment to breathe before cautiously making her way back into the street. The skiff had long since flown away. She walked slowly toward the center of town, checking for traps, and making sure there weren't any Fallen trying to track her down. She finally came to a ridge that looked over the Town Center. The center of the town was not much more than a clearing in the forest that had been converted into a market. It was the only conspicuous part of this village. Every other sector had been blended seamlessly with the trees that surrounded it. Here, the villagers had built their own testament to the Golden Age. A spire stood in the center of the clearing. It had been made with mud, like the rest of the buildings, but had been supplemented with smooth river stones. The result was a glistening tower that looked as though it was covered with a tree lizard's scales. She supposed it was the villager's way of telling the Darkness that it was not welcome here.

Fat lot of good it did them.

She saw the villagers sitting all around their monument as Fallen servitors hovered around them. Close by she saw several captains setting up and organizing their commands. A half an army stood between her and saving those people.

"Ziarik, are you close?" she whispered over her comms.

"There she is! Do you know how long I've been trying to reach you? No I'm not close, ran into a bit of a snag. What does the situation look like?"

"Three servitors, each with special markings, could be prime servitors. That would explain why there are so many captains here. They are amassing quite a force, and they have all of the prisoners too."

"What in Traveler's name do they want with these people?"

"They probably want slaves, or target practice. The House of Skulls has been known to provide other houses with trade. They tend to stay on the good side of all houses, so they are essentially the only way loot passes between them."

Kilia stretched her mind out, sensing the forest around her for hidden Fallen. It was a skill she had been trying to master for some time now, and each time she was able to get a little further, though it was draining to stretch a mind so far. Her sensors could only do so much work. Her mind was essentially straining to see something that, if she were using her eyes, would only be barely visible in a pair of binoculars. She touched on something unfamiliar, something big, and had to open her eyes to confirm what her mind was seeing.

"Ziarik, the spire at the center of town is alive."


	3. Part 3

**Samuel**

The man of light held up his hand and Samuel quickly slid into the shadows of a nearby tree. The impassive mask of the hooded figure in front of him scanned the forest slowly. His gun was half raised as he listened to the silence. Eventually he relaxed and made a quick motion with his hand for Samuel to join him. Samuel crept up next to him, surveying the scene just like his protector.

"What did you see?" Samuel wondered.

The tall figure moved forward without answering him. The cloak he wore waved behind him as he lept over a fallen tree, then disappeared as he crouched into its cover. Irritated at the affront, Samuel tried to follow the stranger as best he could. He tried to replicate the same fluid motion the man had made and fell flat on his face as he toppled over the large trunk. He looked up from the mud to see the man standing over him in what he could only assume was disappointment.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I was jumping over that log."

"You were falling over that long. Noisily. You need to be quiet."

A bright light blossomed over his shoulder as a small white spirit descended down to float in front of Samuel.

"Now now Ziarik," the spirit said, "Be nice to the young one."

"I was just telling the truth," He retorted, "And also giving some well needed constructive criticism."

"Constructive criticism eh? Well here's one for you, go scout ahead while I talk to the boy."

The man muttered something and set off into the forest. The little spirit turned back to Samuel. It had one eye and many little arms rotating all around it. It looked him right in the face and asked, "What's your name?"

"Samuel."

"What is this village called?"

"It tis the village of Viralas."

"Now Samuel, what can you tell me about your gods?"

The word was unfamiliar to him. He looked at the spirit, puzzled, as he pushed himself up off the ground. The spirit looked at him inquisitively as it waited for his answer.

"I do not understand."

"Hmmm, do your people worship? Do they have any higher being above them?"

He started to understand, "We follow the teachings of the Great Viralas."

"Fascinating," mused the spirit as it flew around him.

The boy looked at it in wonder, "What kind of creature are you?"

"I am a Ghost, and Ziarik is my Guardian," the flying spirit stopped and looked at him.

"And why are you and Zee-kikk here?"

The ghost chuckled, "It's Ziarik, and we are here to help you."

The small white cube floated close to Samuel's face, "Now I must ask you…where do you practice the teachings of the Great Viralas?"

**Kilia**

"Why don't you just let me create a distraction?" her ghost eagerly offered, "Then you could go in there, do your magic, and mop up what is left."

"And what would I do if more of them were to show up?"

"You're smart, you'll think of something."

Kilia took a deep, patient breath, "We are going to wait. You wanted us to join this fireteam. You said it would be good to have backup. We are waiting for backup."

"I hate waiting."

She never thought a ghost could pout, but her dark blue one was making a good show of it. It looked like a sulking shadow flitting around the trunks of the trees. It moved next to her and peered at the spire. She scrutinized the clearing before her, trying to form a plan of attack. The captains paced steadily as their charges restlessly fiddled with their equipment and armor.

"What are they waiting for?" Kilia wondered aloud.

"Probably for their backup," her ghost chirped sarcastically.

She sighed. The servitors below hummed softly as they levitated around the prisoners. The large orbs resembled giant purple eyes, each as big as a man. She saw them investigating the town square, pausing occasionally to peer unblinkingly at one of the prisoners. She looked closer and realized that it wasn't the prisoners they were circling. They were looking at the spire.

A bolt of blue light arched from the eye of a servitor. It crashed against the exterior of the monolith, tracing long cracks across its surface. The second servitor did the same, then the third. The light from the blasts reflected off the smooth stones of the tower as the cracks began to break open. The servitors hummed louder and retreated.

Captains moved in, pushing dregs towards the crumbling tower. Some dregs looked timid as they approached. Others looked excited. They surrounded the tower and the villagers in a large circle. Then each of them unsheathed a dagger. Kilia tensed, ready to spring forward and save the villagers, but the knives were turned on their owners and thrust deep into their chest cavities. Kilia watched, shocked and appalled, as white wispy light issued from the dregs as they fell one by one. The light moved through the air, floating upward, until it slid with a hiss through the cracks in the tower. Then the ground shook. A shockwave emanated from the tower, knocking everyone down. A few of the prisoners screamed. Most of them just wept loudly. Kilia gripped a tree as her legs buckled beneath her.

"Status report!" she commanded.

"Structural integrity is weakening. Support is failing. Estimated civilian casualties are at 40% minimum."

"What is it?"

"Running probability algorithm…comparing to known reports of Fallen activities…wait…that can't be right…"

"What?" Kilia growled as the ground began to shake again.

"There is only one thing that it can be. That tower contains a high servitor."

A cold wave of fear crept over her as her ghost relayed his bad news. Kilia cursed and yelled out over her radio, "Guys I need you here now! Shit is in the turbine. We've got a high servitor to slay.

Ziarik responded, "I'm on my way. Hang on!"

The ground thudded again and Kilia called out, "Será do you copy? Será!"

**Será**

"I'll meet you two at the town center," Será said as she clicked off her mic and raised her arms over her head. She stared down the barrels of at least 20 rifles. All of them manned by very angry Fallen soldiers.

She spoke into her mic again, "What is your ETA Brain?"

Her ghost chirped in her ear, "T minus two minutes. Hang in there Será."

The Fallen slowly advanced on her. The one in front pointed and made an awful noise in their guttural language. She knew it probably was not best to antagonize them, but she couldn't help it.

"Thank you for participating in our gameshow 'Battlehouse'! This show has been brought to you by our sponsor Tower-City Radio. Now, if you can answer one question correctly you win the grand prize! Here's the question: What is something that humans do better than Fallen?"

A captain roared in her face menacingly.

"I'm sorry, that was not the correct answer. The correct answer was bodily hygiene. Better luck next time!"

The creatures began to converge on her when a clap like thunder exploded from the heavens. She looked up to see her ship roaring down at her. It pulled up at the last second, sending gusts of hot air blasting over them. Será grinned beneath her helmet as her body materialized. Her ghost teleported her into the cockpit as it chirped, "I managed to shave a couple of seconds off my estimate for you."

She rolled her eyes, "You never cease to amaze me Brain."

Looking pleased with itself, the little gold-striped robot said, "I saved you your favorite part." The flight controls slid forward as the weapons systems powered on. She smiled at the little one as she took the helm.

"You know me so well."

"Just make sure to send the Fallen my regards."

She whooped as her fingers squeezed the triggers. The heavy machine guns attached to the hull jackhammered away as the Fallen were cut down before its spray. Soon only ashes remained. Será pulled back on the lever and punched the throttle, sending the ship speeding swiftly over the treetops.

"Where are we headed?"

"To the same war Brain, but to a whole new battle."


	4. Part 4

**Ziarik **

Branches slapped against his helmet and chest as he pelted through the trees. All thought of caution was lost in his urgency. His ghost and the boy followed close behind. He was surprised to find that the young one could keep up with him. Apparently what he lacked in stealth was not a reflection of his ability to run. In the corner of his eye his ghost flew up next to him.

"At this rate we will be there in approximately five minutes."

"What are we dealing with here?"

"High servitors are the machine gods of the Fallen. There is one for each Fallen house. They give their house archon guidance and in return receive some sort of life essence from their Fallen charges. Some say that the high servitors feed off of the souls of Fallen warriors."

"Are they dangerous? I never thought I'd ever hear Kilia sound worried like this."

"I'm not surprised. She is one of the few survivors of a raid to take out the high servitor of the House of Kings in Old Russia. Many guardians died in that raid and the high servitor still lives to this day."

Ziarik tucked and rolled under a low branch then lept over a log. His feet hit the ground and he let his body fall into a crouch, pausing there while his heart slowed. He tried to calm his thoughts as he waited for the boy to catch up. Terror washed over him as he thought about the danger that lay ahead.

Normally, he did not fear the creatures of the dark. Fallen and Hive soldiers had become so commonplace this close to Earth that he did not fear going into battle with them. This was different. This was something he wasn't prepared for.

Samuel ran up, breathless. Ziarik could see how tired he was and how much the tragedy of this day had worn on the boy.

"I need you to stay with the boy Ghost. He needs you to watch over him while I'm helping Kilia."

The boy looked affronted, "I can take care of myself!"

His ghost jumped in, "You'll need me in this battle Ziarik. A high servitor is no small matter. You'll require tactical intelligence during combat."

Ziarik frowned. He did not like leaving the boy to fend for himself, but they were both right. He would need all the help he could get. Hopefully by staying in the trees the boy would avoid the combat.

He nodded his consent as he turned to push through the last few steps of foliage into the clearing beyond.

"Kilia, we are here."

**Será**

The Kestrel-class XO1 was not the fastest jumpship in the sector. It did not have the best armor, nor did it have the stealth drive of its cousin the ZR4. For all of the things it lacked, it made up ten-fold with its maneuverability. Stories were told of guardians who raced Kestrels through the city of Freehold, dodging skyscrapers and slipping through alleyways with ease. However, the trees of Old India were not skyscrapers.

Alarms blared as the collision warning system painted the screen red with symbols. Even with her ghost making corrections to their trajectory she knew they wouldn't last long among the vines and branches of the encroaching forest.

"We need to get out of here."

"I know, I know!" Será growled, "The trees are hemming us in."

"I told you flying amongst them was a bad idea."

"Less finger-pointing, more exit-finding!"

Her screen suddenly lit up with a splash of gold. A series of rectangles appeared, guiding her toward a hole in the canopy. Será banked hard, rolling her ship sideways and sliding around a tree. She watched the guiding system closely for any deviations in her flight pattern. She weaved and dodged through the tree trunks. Small branches slapped against her hull as she raced forward. The bright sunlight blinded her as she burst through the trees. She breathed a long sigh of relief as she coasted to a stall and put the ship into hover.

"You're welcome!" her ghost said gleefully.

"Ok now Brain. Nobody likes an ostentatious ghost."

Outside she saw nothing but a sea of green. The whole purpose for diving beneath the canopy was to attempt to locate a landmark that would lead them to the village center. However, the village was so well hidden amongst the trees that it was impossible to see from the air. Now they were more lost than ever.

"Ziarik," she called out over the coms, "I need you to activate your tracker."

Every guardian had a beacon that they could plant in the ground in order to call other guardians to their aid. Most chose not to use them for egotistical reasons, but they were incredibly useful when a fireteam got separated and needed to regroup.

There was static, then gunfire, then Ziarik's voice, "Ok, tracker is active. Get here now!"

Será glanced down at her radar, waiting for the blip that would signal Ziarik's tracker. Her screen remained blank.

"Ziarik, the trees must be blocking your signal. Is there any way you can boost it?"

Static was her only answer.


End file.
